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by rikkafish



Category: No. 6 (Anime & Manga), No. 6 - All Media Types, No. 6 - Asano Atsuko
Genre: M/M, Reunion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-04
Updated: 2014-04-04
Packaged: 2018-01-18 03:23:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1413205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rikkafish/pseuds/rikkafish
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Seven years later, Nezumi returns. It doesn't go as well as Shion had hoped.</p>
            </blockquote>





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**Author's Note:**

> obligatory reunion fic? i had a lot of fun writing this... thank you for reading!! 8)
> 
> and thank you to pearmosaic who inspired me for the ending <3!

Shion yawns, stretching his arms above him before looking back at the files in front of him. He's supposed to be going over the plans for a new school in West Block, but he's had a long day, and he can barely focus.

He's sitting at the table in his mother's bakery as his mother cleans up and prepares what she can for tomorrow. Beside him, there is a plate that has only a few crumbs left as proof that there had once been a slice of cherry cake on it, and an empty cup that had held warm milk. He's exhausted, but content.

Content is a good word, he thinks, to describe life right now. In the past seven years, a lot of progress has been made to improve the city and bring all of its inhabitants together to work towards a better future. It was rocky at first, trying to get the insiders and outsiders to cooperate, and there are still people who oppose it, but it's settled down quite a bit. Many projects have been completed since the start, and though they aren't nearly finished, the whole city is slowly turning into a place people can live happily as themselves.

Besides his mother and her regular customers, he still has Inukashi and Rikiga around, so it's not like he's really lonely, and he's been able to watch little Shion grow up into a bright young boy. Shion thinks that had he been born inside when No. 6 was still a walled city, he would have been an elite. Instead, he's just a happy eight year old who goes to school, gets good grades, makes lots of friends, and helps Inukashi with their dogs.

Shion smiles down at the document he's no longer focusing on, thinking of his friends, but it turns melancholy when he thinks, I'm content, but I'm not happy.

He has moments where he can say, Yes, I am happy right now, but overall, he's simply content. He knows he'll never be truly happy, not when there's a piece of his soul missing.

With a sigh of longing, he gives reading the document another try. As always, though, now that Nezumi has crossed his mind, he can't get him to uncross it. His mother hears the sigh, and comes up behind him, touching his shoulder.

"Why don't you go to bed?" she asks with a gentle smile. "You look like you're ready to fall asleep on the table."

Shion shakes his head and tries to sit up straighter. "Gotta finish this," he says. "There's a meeting tomorrow."

Karan smoothes a hand over her son's white hair. "It won't do any good if you mess up because you're sleepy," she tells him.

Shion looks at the papers in front of him. The words swim and he can't quite focus. Well, the meeting wasn't too early, he could finish it in the morning. Reluctantly, he nods with a murmur of agreement. He closes the file as he stands, then turns to kiss Karan on the cheek. He smiles, rubbing one eye. He's more tired that he thought. "Good night, Mom," he says.

He prepares for bed, feeling rather sluggish. It's unseasonably warm out tonight, considering it's supposed to be autumn, and he takes a moment to sit by his window, opening it and looking out at the stars. There's less light in the city now, and out in Lost Town, you can see them fairly well. Nothing compared to West Block, back when he lived there with Nezumi, but it's still beautiful.

When Shion thinks of Nezumi, he likes to gaze at the sky. He knows that no matter where he is right now, they're both under the same sky, and maybe Nezumi would be looking up at it with him.

He leans on the window sill, smiling. "Good night, Nezumi," he murmurs, his eyes closing of their own volition.

He dreams of gray eyes.

~~~

He wakes up in his own bed.

This is not usually abnormal, so it takes him a moment to realize that something is wrong. He had fallen asleep at the window, he remembers now.

"Guess I woke up enough to crawl into bed," he murmurs, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

"It's rude to take the credit for the hard work of other people, you know."

That voice. Shion freezes, lowering his hands but not opening his eyes. He doesn't think he could take it if he looked and found out it was only his imagination.

He dares to peek.

It wasn't his imagination.

Nezumi sitting in the chair he'd fallen asleep in, and the window is closed. He looks different; older, and his hair is shorter, though still longer than Shion's. He's wearing comfortable clothes, similar to what he wore to bed when they'd lived together. Those piercing gray eyes still haven't changed though, and they're looking straight into Shion's red ones.

"Hard work?" he repeats.

Nezumi shrugs. "Maybe I was exaggerating. You're still all skinny, it was like carrying a twig. How can you be so skinny with your mama's delicious pastries to fatten you up?"

Shion ignores the question. "Did you come in through the window?" he asks.

"What am I, twelve?" Nezumi smirks at his own joke. Shion is still too stunned to react. "No, I came in through the front door. I knocked, your mama let me in. She said you'd just gone to bed and that you were probably still awake, but instead, you're sleeping at your window. Waiting for my return, perhaps?"

Shion shakes his head, then frowns. "Well, yes, I'm always waiting. Or I was, I guess. I was just looking at the stars." His eyes met Nezumi's again. "Whenever I thought of you, I would look at the sky and think, maybe you were looking at it, too."

Nezumi's eyes widen just slightly, then he laughs. "Just saying anything that comes to mind... That hasn't changed at least."

That makes Shion smile. He reaches out. "Come here," he says.

He feels strangely relieved when Nezumi doesn't hesitate. He's beside him in an instant, taking the extended hand in his own.

"I missed you," Shion tries to say, but the warmth of Nezumi's hand holding his own fills him with so many emotions, he thinks if he opens his mouth, they'll just spill out like vomit. His eyes fill with tears, and he looks down to hide them.

They don't go unnoticed, though. "Hey, what are you crying for?" Nezumi almost sounds worried as he places his free hand on Shion's jaw, tilting his head back up to look him in the eye.

"Nezumi," is the only thing he can manage, and in those the syllables is every emotion that is swirling around inside him, joy, fear, longing, the ache that had rested so heavy in his chest every night that Nezumi hadn't come back, but most of all, the feeling of intense and overwhelming love.

Even if Shion wanted to say more, he can't now, not with Nezumi's mouth pressed so suddenly and urgently against his own. It takes him a moment to recover, but then he is gripping the other man's shirt, clinging to and kissing him, unable to stop a needy whimper.

He knows he's not skilled; he's only had three kisses his whole life. Nezumi doesn't seem to mind, though, cupping his jaw and sliding his fingers into Shion's hair. He feels like he's floating, and when Nezumi pulls away, he immediately tries to close the distance between them again, but is stopped by a tug of his hair.

"Nezumi," he whispers again, opening his eyes. When he sees those gray eyes again, his breath catches. He's never seen them like this before, burning with love and desire, and he falls still just to stare.

"Shion," Nezumi whispers, sending shivers down Shion's spine.

"I didn't think you'd come back," Shion admits. "Inukashi kept trying to tell me that you'd probably died but I knew you were alive. I know I'd feel it in my heart of you were dead."

Nezumi looks surprised, then he laughs, his hand moving from Shion's hair to the back of his neck. He touches his forehead to Shion's. "How can you say things like that with a straight face?" he asks.

"Because they're true," Shion says simply. "I love you, Nezumi."

It's quiet, but Shion is sure he heard Nezumi's breathing falter. "Idiot," he murmurs affectionately, then tilts his head to bring their lips together again.

This time, the kiss is slower, but it burns through Shion and settles low in his stomach. He is helpless to resist as he gives himself over to love and pleasure, not that he would have wanted to resist anyway. His arms go around Nezumi's neck and he feels the other man shift, trying to close the space between them. Their position makes it difficult, and Nezumi grunts in frustration.

"Lay down," he whispers against Shion's lips, and Shion doesn't need to be told twice. He's on his back and pulling Nezumi over him, careful not to break the kiss because he thinks if they stop kissing, he'll break. Nezumi's tongue touches his lips and he straddles Shion, one knee planted on either side of him. Shion rakes his nails over Nezumi's back, the scratches dulled by the cloth between his fingers and Nezumi's skin but it still drags a sound out of him that goes straight to Shion's groin. It's beautiful, and Shion has no idea what to do.

Nezumi does, though, and he takes the lead. His hips rock down into Shion's and Shion makes a sound of his own, raw and high and embarrassing. He turns his head to cover his red face.

"Fuck, Shion, what are you doing?" Nezumi asks, breathless and beautiful.

"I'm sorry!" Shion practically squeaks. "I didn't mean to make that noise!"

Nezumi laughs, and another roll of his hips draws a stifled cry from Shion. "Stop hiding," he whispers. His hands feel like they're everywhere at once, running down Shion's chest and over his sides and brushing his cheeks. "I want to hear you."

After a moment of hesitation, Shion lowers his hands. He's rewarded by a nip to his collar bone. Shion covers his mouth again to muffle a moan, and Nezumi grips his wrist to pull it away.

"You're such a virgin," he says, but there's nothing but amused affection in his voice. "Honestly, I thought you'd have some experience by now."

Shion fixes Nezumi with a confused look. "Experience with who?" he asks. "You've been gone."

That seems to catch Nezumi off guard. There is no reply, so Shion continues.

"You're the only person I've ever wanted," Shion whispers. "The idea if ever being with anyone else is just... I would have felt unfaithful." His cheeks heat up, but he refuses to turn away from those beautiful eyes.

Nezumi regains his composure quickly, though, and laughs. "That explains why your kisses haven't improved."

"Hey!"

"It's okay," Nezumi says, "you'll just have to practice."

Shion is pouting at him, arms crossed, when he realizes something. If Nezumi was surprised to hear that Shion hadn't been with anyone, does that mean...?

"Nezumi, did you...? I mean, while you were gone, did you...?" He can't get the words out. He's terrified the answer will be yes.

Nezumi looks at him, silent. His eyes are unreadable, something that used to bring Shion comfort, but right now, it just makes him nervous.

"Did I what?" Nezumi prompts.

_Knock, knock._

"Shion?" It's his mother. Shion doesn't respond, eyes wide. He's actually kind of glad that they stopped kissing now, that would have been embarrassing. "I don't want to interrupt anything," now his cheeks are bright red, and he closes his eyes tightly, "but Yuka called a little while ago. She said you had meetings today that you've missed."

Shion sits up so quickly, he nearly knocks Nezumi off the bed. Nezumi catches himself with a scoff, but Shion ignores him. He looks at the clock and panics. How did it get to be nearly noon?!

"My alarm must not have gone off!" he calls back. "Thanks for letting me know!"

He climbs over Nezumi to get out of bed, stripping his shirt off as he goes into his closet. Nezumi seems to be rather perplexed and annoyed at the sudden change, but he just leans back on his elbows and watches as Shion frantically gets dressed to go to work.

"Did you turn off my alarm?" he accuses the figure laying on his bed. "I've already missed two meetings, no wonder Yuka called--!"

"Hey, what the hell?" Nezumi looks pissed now. It's an expression that, even now, Shion is familiar with. "I had no interest in disrupting your daily life, maybe Your Royal Highness forgot to set it when you fell asleep at the window?"

Shion's face feels hot from shame, because he realizes now that that's probably what happened. He feels like a jerk, and he pauses, his shoulders dropping.

"Oh, yeah," he murmurs. "You're probably right. Sorry, Nezumi." He looks up to meet the other boy's eyes. "I'm just stressed." He smiles just a little; a timid apology. "If I tell them what happened, I'm sure no one will be upset. They all know."

"Know what?"

Shion frowns at Nezumi's question. "Knew I was waiting for you," he says, like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

And once he's said it, Nezumi seems to realize that too. Before he can say anything, though, Shion lights up with excitement.

"Come with me!" he says. "To work! You don't have to do anything, of course, but you can see what I've done for the city, and maybe Inukashi and Rikiga will show up, they'd love to know you're back--"

"I'll pass." Nezumi sounds bored as he waves a hand. "Like I said, I don't want to disrupt your daily life."

"It won't be a disruption," Shion tells him with a frown. "It's not a big deal, Nezumi, I have meetings every day, I'm kind of in charge of a lot of projects--"

Nezumi lays back on the bed, linking his hands together behind his head. "No thanks."

There's a stretch of silence between them. Shion watches Nezumi, but Nezumi's eyes are closed. He doesn't move.

"You left me here to fix the city," Shion murmurs. "I thought you'd want to see what I've done."

Nezumi rolls onto his side away from Shion. "Another time," he says, a little sharply. "It's not like I'm leaving tonight or anything. Have fun at work."

That's the last thing Nezumi says to him before Shion finally gives up and walks out of the room.

~~~

Shion gets to work as quickly as possible, apologizing profusely to a frazzled Yuka as soon as he's in the door. Officially, she is his assistant, but she does more than she's expected to. Sometimes, she feels more like Shion's manager, making sure he always knows where he's supposed to be and what he's supposed to be doing. Shion knows she does these things for him because she is eager to help the city evolve into something wonderful, and he's glad to have her bright mind on his side.

"I went to the first meeting for you," she explains, handing him notes she'd taken, "but the second one had to be put off, since you had the files about the school that you were supposed to have looked over before it even started." She pauses to look at him. "Do you even have them on you?"

Shion curses quietly under his breath. They were still on his desk at home. "I can run back and get them," he says.

Yuka shakes her head. "Don't bother, we've already rescheduled to next week," she tells him. "They wanted to come back tomorrow, but next week is the soonest we could meet them again." She scoffs as she scribbles notes onto the electronic pad in her arms. "Honestly, they're acting like they're doing us a favor when they're the ones who want the new school to begin with! Anyway, it's a good thing you showed up when you did..."

She continues talking, but Shion can't focus anymore. He keeps thinking back to Nezumi, laying with his back to Shion. _It's not like I'm leaving tomorrow._

He looks down at something Yuka hands him without really taking it in. _Does that mean you're planning on leaving again?_

Shion always thought that being reunited with the person who was most important to him would be happier. And after the initial shock, he had been happy. Nezumi had been happy, he'd seen the look in the other boy's eyes, there was no mistaking it. But then something had changed.

Shion can't remember what triggered it anymore. _Where did I go wrong, Nezumi?_

He's jerked back into reality when Yuka snaps her fingers in his face. He blinks at her with startled eyes. "What?" he asks.

She looks exasperated. "What's going on with you today? You're never late, and now you're not paying attention to anything I say! Shion, this stuff is important!"

Shion feels like a child who's just been chastised. Yuka is a year younger than him, but he sometimes feels like she's so much more grown up than he is. "I know," he murmurs. "I'm sorry. My mind is not here today. Something happened this morning."

Yuka's demeanor changes from one of business to a worried friend. "Is everything okay?" she asks. "Karan seemed fine when I called..."

Yuka had never met Nezumi. She hadn't even met Shion until three years after Nezumi had left. Like most people who spent time with Shion, though, she had noticed him staring out the window at the horizon, noticed his longing sighs, and had eventually asked. Shion had told her simply, "I'm waiting for someone."

She'd tried to get more information out of him over time, but she doesn't know much more than his name and that he is very important to Shion. So when Shion says, "Nezumi was there when I woke up," she only knows that his important person returned after many years.

"Isn't that good?" she asks hesitantly.

"Of course!" he cries immediately. "It's wonderful! I've missed him for so long and I've waited for this day and it's all wrong!" Before Yuka can ask anymore questions, he shoves everything he'd given her into his arms. "I'm sorry, I can't think today. I'm not going to be any use. Just take my place today, you can handle it."

He's gone out the door again before she can protest.

~~~

He doesn't go home. He can't, not if Nezumi is there.

He thinks about going to Inukashi's or Rikiga's, but they would ask questions and find out and what if they wanted to see him? Maybe they would act like they didn't, but they really would and Shion would not want to deny them the chance to see their friend. It had been just as long for them as it had been for Shion, after all.

So, as much as he wants to take refuge in familiar and comforting spaces, he retreats away from where Nezumi is to where Nezumi had been, where they had been, before the Hunt.

Shion hadn't been back to the basement apartment since Nezumi had left. It had been comfortable, a place he loved to call home, because of who had been there with him. Without him, it was just a room full of books. Maybe he should have gone back for the books, but he could never bring himself to go back there.

He isn't even sure it would still be accessible, honestly. He doesn't know why it wouldn't be; it was far away enough from the where the massacre had occurred that it would probably be fine. Then again, those acoustic shockwaves had caused so much damage, even now he remembers the way it felt like the entire planet was shaking every time the weapon went off.

Despite the fact that the West Block's layout was completely different than how it had been seven years ago, with more permanent buildings and homes, Shion knew exactly where to find the entrance to the underground rooms. The area around it is still undeveloped, and with his back to the city, as he stands at the top of the stairs, he thinks it's almost like he's sixteen again, and he'll go down there and Nezumi will be there, reading a book or making Macbeth stew, and Hamlet, Cravat, and Tsukiyo would all be there, alive and together. They'd eat a small dinner of stew with hot water to drink, but it was enough for Shion because anything was enough as long as Nezumi was with him.

He finally opens the door, and squints. There's not a lot of light, but the old lamp was still there, and he's able to light it to help him see better.

His fantasy had already been fading, but now it's gone entirely. The room hasn't changed in layout. Nothing is knocked over or out of place, nothing had been stolen. He doesn't stop to wonder why, he doesn't care.

But everything is covered in gray-brown dust, there are cobwebs and it just looks so abandoned, Shion's heart breaks a little.

 _I should go_ , he thinks, but instead, he starts to clean.

Nezumi would make fun of him for getting attached to their old apartment, but he can't help it. When he was sixteen, he remembers believing with all of his heart that he would save Safu, that they would live in this tiny space with Nezumi and his mother, cooking outside in the summer and reading as many books as possible.

He takes the blankets outside and shakes the dirt and dust off them, and remembers how he thought he'd share the small bed with Nezumi forever.

When he goes back inside, he makes the bed neatly. It's the only thing he's cleaned so far, and while part of him wants to keep going, a stronger part wants to lay down and just pretend for a moment. He gives in, because there's no one here to see anyway, and what good would dusting this whole place do anyway?

He sits on the bed and smooths a hand over the scratchy blanket, tries to fluff the always too-flat pillow. He'd never complained once.

Anything was good enough with Nezumi by his side.

When he lays down and presses his face into the pillow, it doesn't smell like anything but old dust. He sits up enough to sneeze a couple of times, then he rubs at his nose with his sleeve and flops back down onto his back. It sends up a small cloud of dust that had clung to the fabric even after Shion shook and beat the hell out of them, but it's not much. Enough to make him cough, but it doesn't bother him.

With nothing to distract him, not cleaning, not old memories, not work, he stares at the ceiling and thinks of Nezumi's reaction that morning.

It hadn't been until his outburst at Yuka that he'd realized what's bothering him so much. It's wrong. Everything feels wrong. It was good at first, when Nezumi teased him and kissed him, and then everything changed and Shion was reminded that they have seven years of separation between them.

He'd been so warm at first, then something had changed. Something had cut off that warmth, something Shion did or said, and it was Wrong. Nezumi was supposed to come back and love him and stay with him and they were going to be happy.

 _It's not like I'm leaving tomorrow._ Those words echo in his mind.

Shion's eyes close. _But you're still planning on leaving again._

He doesn't think his heart could take it if Nezumi left again.

No, that's not quite right.

He wouldn't be able to handle it if Nezumi left him again.

"I'll just go with you," he says to the empty room. He gives the ceiling a defiant look. "If you leave again, I'm following you, and you can't stop me."

 _No. 6 is still a work in progress_. Shion can practically hear Nezumi's arguments.

"I don't care," he says to the imaginary Nezumi. "I poured seven years of my life into that city, that's enough, we can always come back anyway. I'm not letting you leave my side again. I'm not leaving your side, either."

The only response is silence. He lets out a sigh.

 _Coming back here was a stupid idea_ , he tells himself.

He gets up and starts to clean again.

~~~

It's easy to lose track of time in a room with no windows or working clocks, especially when carefully cleaning seven years of dust off a large collection of books. He doesn't make much progress, since there are no mice to squeak at him when he gets off task by reading, but he doesn't care. It's not like he's doing this so they can live there again.

It's only when his stomach starts to growl that he realizes he has no idea what time it is.

He shoves the book he'd been reading back onto the shelf and digs around in his pocket for his phone...but he comes up empty handed. He must have left it in his room when that morning.

He closes the room up, wishing he could lock it, but he doesn't have the key anymore. Well, it's lasted here seven years unlocked without a problem, and why does it matter if it was locked? He doesn't have any plans to come back.

He's not even sure why he came today.

Lost in thought, it takes him a moment to realize the sun had set. Shit. His mother is probably out of her mind with worry. He never came home late without letting her know; to this day, she was worried about him disappearing like he has when he was 16.

It isn't so late that the buses aren't running, and an hour later, he's walking into the bakery.

Karan is sitting at a table, looking worried. Nezumi is beside her, and apparently Shion interrupted him when he walked in. He stops talking and stares at him with unreadable eyes. Karan follows his gaze and gets up with a relieved cry.

"Oh, Shion, I was so worried!" she tells him, hugging him tightly. "I called your phone when you didn't come home from work, but you didn't answer!"

"I'm sorry, Mom," Shion says, smiling. "I'm fine. I left my phone here."

"Have you eaten?" Karan asks, ever a mother and a baker, and she doesn't wait for a response before she's preparing him since leftovers from the dinner he'd missed. Shion is painfully aware of Nezumi's presence, but he doesn't acknowledge him yet.

"I called Inukashi and Rikiga when I couldn't reach you, but neither of them had seen you!" Karan continues, bringing a bowl of soup with bread and milk to the table. Shion sits and pokes at it, having lost his appetite already. "So I called Yuka, and she said you'd gotten upset and left suddenly."

Shion finally looks at Nezumi. He thinks that Nezumi must know why Shion got upset, but he doesn't say anything.

"I just needed some time to myself," he says to his mother.

Karan seems to realize that there's something going on with the two of them, and nods. "Well, now that I know you're safe," she sighs in relief, "I have to get to bed!"

Shion nods, feeling Karan kiss the top of his head. He thinks it must be much later than he thought if she's going to bed. After a few exchanged 'good night', 'sleep well', she disappears upstairs, leaving the two men alone.

Neither of them seem to know what to say. Shion busies himself with eating, taking extra care to enjoy every atom of the bread and soup. Then he pauses mid-bite and stares into the bowl.

"...Macbeth soup?" he questions quietly.

Nezumi shrugs and leans back in his chair, arms crossed. "I'm surprised you remember it," he says.

Shion looks at Nezumi, frowning. "It was one of the few things that had real flavor we got to eat," he replies. "...it's really good. Thanks, Nezumi."

"I thought you'd be happy that I was back."

The comment catches Shion off guard. He blinks as he processes it. "What? Of course I'm happy!" he protests. "I told you that this morning!"

"That was before you disappeared to get 'space'," Nezumi says. He's scowling. "So, you went to work only to storm off as soon as you get there, and then you don't come home. According to both your mother and this Yuka, this isn't a normal thing, and your mom went on and on about 'this isn't like him, I can't believe he's just disappeared, he must be in trouble if you've come back and he's not here'." His impression of Karan is terrible.

"Nezumi," Shion interrupts. "This morning..." He trails off, not sure how to phrase what he's thinking. He needs to say it, though, and it was Nezumi who taught him the importance of words. "I was so happy to see you again, I didn't even know what to do with myself, and then..." His face burns. "Were you with anyone, I mean, did you. Did you have sex with anyone while you were gone?"

"Is that what this is about?" Nezumi asks, eyebrows drawn together. "I only promised you I'd return, you know."

Shion scowls, and there's a hollow feeling growing in his chest. "I know! That doesn't mean you can't answer my question!" he cries.

"Keep your voice down," Nezumi yells him rather sharply. Shion purses his lips and glares at him, still waiting for an answer. Nezumi sighs.

"No. There was no one. In seven years, I haven't even thought about kissing anyone else."

Shion's annoyance fades into surprise, and the hollow feeling suddenly feels a lot more like nervous hope. "Then why didn't you say that this morning?"

"Because it pisses me off." Nezumi closes his eyes and crosses his arms defensively. "I left because I was too damn attached to you, I couldn't stand it. I hated that I didn't want to leave. Every day, I wanted to turn around and come back for you."

"Then why were you gone for seven years?" Shion asks, distressed.

Nezumi finally opens his eyes. "I wanted to get over you," he admits. "I wanted you to get over me. Move on, find a nice girl, someone who could stay here with you." He sighs and cuts off Shion before he can say a word. "I came back because I changed my mind. I didn't want you to get over me." He looks like it's hard for him to admit.

Shion feels exasperated and frustrated. He has no idea what's going on anymore. He'll never figure Nezumi out. He takes too long to gather his words, though, and Nezumi speaks up.

"I broke our promise this morning," he says. "I lied to you. I said I didn't want to disrupt your daily life."

"Wait, were you mad at me because I was going to work?" Shion asks, eyes wide. Nezumi's answer is silence. It's as good as a firm yes. "I asked if you wanted to go with me!"

"I know."

Shion sighs. "If you wanted me to skip work, all you had to do was say so," he tells him, smiling kindly. He reaches over the table and puts his hand over Nezumi's. "Apparently, we have some stuff to work out."

"Did you expect me to come back and everything would just be easy?" Nezumi asks. Shion's slight blush and sheepish look is all the answer he needs. "You know it's never been easy with us."

Shion runs his thumb over Nezumi's, preferring to look at their hands rather than those eyes. "Maybe not," he agrees. "I guess after seven years, I created a scenario of how it would go when you came back and it didn't include waking up to you in my bedroom or being late for work."

Nezumi laughs and laces their fingers together. "How did you think it would go, then?"

"I guess like something in a novel, when two lovers reunite," Shion says, tilting his head thoughtfully. "They spot each other across some distance and run into each others' arms and kiss a lot. And it's raining, for dramatic effect."

Nezumi stands up, tugging Shion up with him. "And soaked to the bone, I'd pick you up," he pulls their bodies together, arms going around Shion's waist, "and spin you around." He lifts Shion off the floor, and laughs when he yelps in surprise and throws his arms around Nezumi's neck. He spins them around once, not as dramatically as he wants in the small bakery, then puts Shion on his feet again. He leans close; their noses brush.

"Then I'd kiss you," he whispers, "pouring all of my love and longing into it, conveying with action everything I can't with words."

Shion's chest tightens and his breathing picks up. His cheeks feel warm. His eyes droop but don't quite close yet. "Nezumi," he sighs, barely audible.

"Shion," Nezumi murmurs, and their mouths are so close that Shion can taste his voice.

Getting up the stairs quietly turns out to be a challenge when they can't stop touching each other, kissing and giggling and sneaking fingers under layers of clothing. Shion fights with his coat to get it off, and they stumble into the wall when he only has one arm out. By the time Nezumi is kicking the bedroom door shut behind them, Shion's lost his coat (literally lost; did he drop it in the hall?) and his tie is loose around his neck.

"When did you start wearing ties?" Nezumi whispers against Shion's mouth.

"Um," Shion tries to come up with an answer, but Nezumi is undoing the buttons of his shirt and kissing his jaw and generally being distracting. His head spins. "For work," is the only thing he can come up with. Why is Nezumi asking about his tie?

"It's sexy as hell," Nezumi tells him. His breath tickles Shion's throat and oh, he understands why now.

"Thank you," he says, because what do you say to that? His cheeks burn when Nezumi laughs, but he doesn't have time to look indignant because now his shirt is gone and his pants are undone and the back of his knees are hitting the edge of the bed and his whole body burns now, not with embarrassment but with arousal and oh god, Nezumi is so beautiful.

"You're staring," Nezumi tells him. He's straddling Shion now, looking down at him and even in the dark of the room Shion can see his eyes, full of lust and love, something he's never seen in that shade of gray before. It makes his chest hurt.

"Of course I am," Shion says simply. He tugs at Nezumi's sweater. "Get this off."

Nezumi snorts in laughter, but pulls the sweater over his head and drops it on the floor. "So romantic," he says.

Any comment from Shion is cut off by when Nezumi shifts forward and he is suddenly aware of not only his own erection but Nezumi's, pressed together with only a couple of thin layers of fabric between them. He gasps and rocks his hips up automatically, then tries to cover his face to hide his embarrassment. Nezumi catches his wrists and pins them to the bed on either side of him, leaving Shion open and flushed and trembling.

"Don't be such a virgin," Nezumi whispers.

Shion's retort is cut off when Nezumi rolls his hips and Shion forgives him for everything. Then it happens again, and Shion pushes up into it. Nezumi presses their foreheads together and the sound that passes through his lips is like an electric shock to Shion's nervous system. He can feel his own throat working but the only thing he hears are Nezumi's gasping moans, his entire world has narrowed down to Nezumi, Nezumi, _Nezumi_ , everywhere they touch is a sharp, bright point in a muffled world. Something white-hot is burning him from the inside, spreading through his veins and bones and just when he's sure he can't take it anymore, every nerve in his body goes supernova and he swears he's actually managed to become incorporeal because there's no way one human can hold this much intensity--

He's brought back to reality when Nezumi curses in his ear, and suddenly he feels less like a supernova and more like a dying star. The heat that took him over drains out of him and leaves trembling, exhausted muscles behind; his vision is hazy and he doesn't know when Nezumi grabbed his hand but he squeezes it weakly.

"Beautiful," he breathes, and Nezumi's eyes widen briefly before closing tight. His hips jerk and he kisses Shion, messy and wonderful and Shion wants to watch Nezumi come, wants to help him finish. He props himself up on one elbow, forcing Nezumi to lean back a bit.

"What are you doing?" Nezumi pants. Shion doesn't answer with words. He pushes Nezumi's boxers down and frees his erection. It's swollen and red and the head is leaking clear, sticky fluid, and Shion is almost nervous for a moment before he wraps a hand around it and pulls. It's not unlike pleasuring himself, but it's so much more wonderful because it's Nezumi and every time Shion moves his hand, Nezumi gasps and shudders.

It only takes a few firm strokes before Nezumi is curling into himself, pressing his face into Shion's neck and jerking his hips. Shion feels something wet on his stomach and hand and he feels proud of himself.

Nezumi rolls off him, collapsing at Shion's side as they both catch their breath. Their hands are still linked and Shion doesn't want to move, but his boxers are ruined and his stomach and free hand are covered in rapidly cooling semen. Interrupting the silence seems like a crime, but it's not like he's never been labelled a criminal before.

"Nezumi?" he whispers.

Nezumi lifts his head, curious for a moment, but he catches on without anymore words. "Got any tissues?" he asks.

Shion motions to his desk, and though he'd expected Nezumi to just hand him the box, he actually removes a few and starts to clean them both up.

"Shower?" Shion asks.

"Tomorrow," Nezumi tells him quietly. He tosses the tissues in the trash can. "Do you even think you could stand right now?"

Shion considers that, then laughs. "I'd collapse," he agrees.

"Tomorrow," Nezumi repeats.

Neither of them bother with sleep clothes, curling up beneath the sheets naked. Normally, Shion would be embarrassed; he's never been naked with anyone like this before, and his scars stand out so much against his skin. Even clothed, people ask about them and his white hair. This is Nezumi, though, and it just feels natural.

"At least one mystery was solved tonight."

Shion is too tired to do more than frown with confusion, not lifting his head from its position on Nezumi's shoulder. "Mystery?" he repeats.

He can hear Nezumi's wicked grin. "The mystery of whether or not the carpets match the drapes," he says.

That only causes Shion more confusion, but then Nezumi's hip nudges his lower stomach and he turns bright red with understanding. "You could have just asked," he mumbles. He closes his eyes tightly.

"Yeah, that would have gone over well," Nezumi replies. Shion's response is a well thought out grumble, but he's placated by gentle lips on his forehead.

Laying there, wrapped up in Nezumi, Shion doesn't feel content. He always thought he'd be happy like this, but happiness is too simple a concept to describe it. Nezumi came back to him and Shion doesn't know if he'll stay, but he's here and Shion won't let him leave alone this time. He understands the feelings Nezumi brings with him and he doesn't want to give them up again.

"I'm finally home," he whispers.

"Did you leave?" Nezumi asks. He's tracing shapes on Shion's side. Shion tries to make sense of them, but he can't keep track and gives up.

"You left." Nezumi's fingers still, and Shion lifts his head to look at him. Nezumi is frowning at him through the darkness.

"Home is where the heart is," Shion explains, "and you are my heart."

Shion expects to be teased for his poor use of words, to be compared to a primate, to be laughed at, brushed off.

Nezumi kisses him instead.

Shion decides he likes that response better.

"Go to sleep." Nezumi's tone is fond.

Shion is smiling when he finally drifts off.

He dreams of gray eyes.

 

 


End file.
